Fire extinguisher



Patented June 15, 1948 I .O FIFICE- FIRE EXTING-UISHER Charles L. zabriskie, 'New York, Y., 'assignor to Security iroducts Corporation, Plailffild, N. .J., :a corporation of New-Jersey ,Allplication January ,17, 1946, .Serial ,No. 541,774

The present invention relates to fire extinguishers of the type having container filled with extinguishing fluid, such as carbon-tetrachloride, and wherein there is an operating plunger adapted to be reciprocated in the container first to arm the extinguisher and then to discharge the contents into and around thoffiamcs through an outlet in oneend of the container.

The principal object of the invention 'is' to providesuch a fire extinguisher :having a plunger of novel construction which permits free flow oi fluid il'ro'r'n above to below the plunger on'the arming stroke but which will be sealed on the operating stroke in order to forcefully discharge fluid through the outlet.

Another f-eati-ire of the invention is a fire extinguisher wherein the parts are locked against operation when the extinguisher is not in use, but which is capable of being rapidly unlocked for use by a simple'turn of the operating handle.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a fire extinguisher having a :plunge'r with valves therein formed from parts whicharc easily and cheaply formed, as by stamping.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher characterized by the simplicity and cheapness of its construction, but which is eitective and. durable in use.

Various other features and advantagesiof the invention will become apparent as the descripvtion thereof progresses. ."In the drawings, which arei'llustrative of scveralipreferned :ionms of the invention, and which are not intended to restrict its scope to the precise forms shown:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through the extinguisher, showing the parts in the position they occupy when the extinguisher is not .in use, for instance, when it is hanging onthe wall of a building or at any other point where needed Figure 2 is a partial longitudinalsectional view of the embodiment of Eigu-ne 1, showing the parts in the position they occupy when :the plunger is being armed.

Figure .3 \is a plan view of the plunger plate.

Figureis aplan view of the plunger :cup.

Ilhroughout the specification and claim, such words as upper, lower, above, and beneath :are used merely to define relation .of the parts in the position of the extinguisher in Figure 1. The words lower and beneath are used with respect to proximity to the outlet of the extinguisher, whereas the words upper andubove used. with similarrelation to the handle end of the X- tinguisher.

The main parts of the extinguisher comprise a container body Oshcwh in the form of a cylinder, an operating rod .8, which extends through the. upper .end of the. cylinder ,and which is equipped with a suitable handle member a plunger or piston P secured to the operating rod lclaim; (Cl.299-92) R'andan outlet "O'i'nthebottom or discharge end of the cylinder. H I

..It will be understood that when the operating rod is moved upwardly, fiuid' asses the plunger *Pfronfiabovetobelowthc same, thisbe'ing termed the arming stroke of the plunger. When the plunger is subsequently moved downwardly, in what is termed its operating stroke, the plunger prevents passage "of fluid from below to above the same, and the fluid is thereby discharged through the 'outlet'Oonto or around the lire. 1

The'conta'iner may 'be made of any suitable material'suchasglassplastic, or metal, and-may have end walls of the same or similar material secured to the cylindrical body in any conventional mannerwell known inthe container art. In Figure 1 the container-is shown intheiofihof a metal cylinder '1 ll having "a top '12 and a bottom 14 seamed thereto forming a pressure gas-tight body. The top-l2j has'a central'opening therein,

and securedin"said'op'ening in any suitable gastight manneras bywel-ding, solderingor the-1 is 1a bushing +6. The top bushing-has a semi passage *I 'B 'therethrough, the upper portion or which is Tormed"with relatively heavy screw threads 20. p ,The bottom *1 l of the container also has central opening therein, in alignment with the opening in the top 42, and an outlet bushing is secured in a gas-tight manner in this opening'. The lower end of the collar Eli-has a con tral nozzle disc'harge-open'ing'z i leading ii wider passage 26 (*FigureZ) equipped with a short fiightof relatively heavy screw threads The'lower end of the operatingrod R terminates in'a conical point at and above this point there length of relativelyheavy threads 32 on the rod of'form to mesh with the threads 28. 'When the plunger is in its lower position as shown in Figure 1,-a single right 'turnof between to 360 degrees of the operating rod forces the pointedend 31! into the inner end of the opening 724, thus closing the chamber, and the engagement of the lower portion of the threads 32 with the threads 28 of the bottom bushing '22 looks the operating rod'in' this position.

As indicated in Figure 1, the upper end 36 of the operatingrod extends beyond the top plate of the-container, and the handle "H is provided having a depending sleeve portion38 which is reducedat its lower endM) and f-ormed'with relatively heavy exterior threads adapted to engage with the interior threads 20 in the bushing 16. The threadson the depending portion 40 and the threads '20 in the bushing It correspond in form and Tlengthwith .those .on the lower end. of'the operating .rod and in the lower bushing 2.2,.lsdthat one left turn of between 180' c0360 degrees of the handle 14 will simultaneously release both sets of threads to permit the operatlng rod R to be pulled upwardly during the arming stroke of the plunger. In assemblying the extinguisher for use, the container with its bottom end attached is placed in upright position and the operating rod and plunger are inserted to the full length of the container. The lower end of the operatin rod is then screwed firmly into the bushing 22 closing the outlet 24.

The extinguishing fluid is now poured into the container, after which the top I2 is positioned thereon with its bushing I6 passed over the extending end 36 of the operating rod. The top 12 is thereafter secured to'the body of the container as by seaming, screw threading or by any other operation depending on the type of joint between the top and body employed. The handle H is then attached by slipping the sleeve 38 over the end of the rod, and the sleeve 38 is threaded firmly into the bushing IS. A hole may then be drilled laterally through the sleeve 38 and the upper end of the rod R and these two parts may then be secured together by a pin or rivet 44. It will be evident that the extinguisher is now in condition for operation, and by a single turn of the handle H, the threads at the upper and lower ends of the operatin rod may be disengaged, at which time the plunger can be pulled upwardly on its arming stroke with the fluid by-passing the plunger P in a manner hereinafter described. On the operating or downward structure, the plunger P prevents by-passing of the fluid as later described, and forces the fluid under pressure in a stream through the discharge opening 24.

The plunger comprises a circular cup 50 (Figure 4) of flexible material such as leather and a rigid plunger disk 52 (Figure 3) of metal or the like. These members are each provided with a central opening of diameter to permit slipping them over the lower threaded end of the operating rod, and they are held rigidly on the rod and centrally against one another by an upper nut 56, a lower washer 58, and a lower nut 60, all secured on the threaded portion of the operating rod, the nuts 56 and 60 engaging the relatively heavy threads 32 of the rod at points spaced above the lower end thereof.

The leather cup 50 has a plurality of openings or apertures 62 therein which constitute fluid ports. These apertures are preferably arranged circularly approximately half-way between the center of the cup leather 50 and its outer periphery, as shown in Figure 4. The openings 62 should be of such size and number as to permit free flow of fluid through the plunger on the arming stroke thereof, as later described.

With the parts positioned as in Figure 1, and after disengagement of the operating rod from the threads of the upper and lower bushings, the plunger is pulled upwardly on its arming stroke. The pressure exerted by the fluid above the plunger bends the cup leather from the position of Figure 1 to the downwardly turned position shown in Figure 2. The downward bending of the cup leather moves its central portion where the openings 62 are located downwardly from contact with the plunger plate 52. Fluid ports are thus opened so that fluid may flow downwardly from above to below the plunger. The downward release of fluid continues throughout the arming stroke of the plunger until it is in position for operation adjacent the upper end of the container 0. On the reverse or operating stroke, the pressure of fluid below the plunger forces the cup leather upwardly into contact with the plunger plate 52 as shown in Figure 1. In view of the fact that the outer edges of openings 62 in the cup leather are within the outside diameter of the plunger plate '52, the lower face of the latter will close the openings 62 so that no fluid may pass the plunger, pressure thus exerted on the fluid discharges it through the bottom opening 24.

It will be apparent from the above description that I have provided a fire extinguisher with a plunger construction characterized by simplicity and durability, and one which can be easily fabricated as by simple stamping and cutting operations. On the other hand, the parts are so constructed and arranged that the plunger will freely pass fluid on the arming stroke, yet will provide a complete seal on the operating stroke to forcefully eject fluid through the outlet.

I claim:

In a fire extinguisher a cylindrical container having a top and bottom with longitudinally aligned openings therein, a bushing in the bottom opening having a discharge orifice, and a threaded chamber above the same, a bushing in the top opening having a bore therethrough-and a threaded chamber around said bore, the threads in said bushings being relatively heavy, an operating rod in said cylinder having a plunger thereon for discharge of the extinguish ing fluid through said outlet, said operating rod having a lower end formed to close said discharge orifice and having relatively heavy threads adjacent its lower end to engage the threads in said bottom bushing, the upper end of said rod extending through the bore of said top bushing and having a handle secured thereto, said handle having a threaded extension which engages the threads in said top bushing, all of said threads being of similar heavy construction, the engagement of said threads locking said operating rod against longitudinal movement with the discharge orifice closed and with said plunger positioned adjacent the bottom of said cylinder, said threads being of such form and size that said operating rod may be released for upward movement of said plunger by a single turn of said handle.

CHARLES L. ZABRJSKIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 336,658 Monroe Feb. 23, 1886 385,477 Pitney July 3, 1888 475,812 Seymour May 31, 1892 558,959 Johnston Apr. 28, 1896 560,004 Merrill May 12, 1896 655,954 Brooks Aug. 14, 1900 1,076,787 Rowe Oct. 28, 1913 1,110,189 Dodge Sept. 8, 1914 1,231,442 Smith June 26, 1917 1,254,024 Bryan Jan. 22, 1918 1,309,987 Kelley July 15, 1919 1,347,082 Davis July 20, 1920 1,430,723 Chilson Oct. 3, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,279 Great Britain Dec, 18, 1914 

